Range-finder



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1-.

N. BRAY. RANGE FINDER.

Patented Oct. 19,1897.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N.BRAY. RANGE FINDER.

No. 591.912. Patented Oct. 19,1897.

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NICHOLAS BRAY, OF DUBUQUE, lOl/VA.

RANGE-FINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,912, dated october 19,

Application tiled March 30, 1897. Serial No. 630,011. (No model?) To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS BRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Range-Finders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto'which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to range-finders or instruments for determining distances from a given point, and its principle is to provide a cheap, simple, convenient instrument, portable by hand, which shall be accurate in its measurements and can be used by the inexperienced.

' It consists in two angled plates connected together by a measuring-tape and. supplied with one or more registers, each having calculations thereon of the distance to the object sighted, based upon the distance the sightingpins on the angle-plates are separated.

The following speciiication, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, will give in detail the manner of its construction and operation.

Figure l shows a perspective of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the rightangleplates, with register thereon. Fig. 3 shows one of the registers removed. Fig; 4 shows another register removed. Fig. 5 shows a plan view of the extension-tape. Fig. 6 shows a plan-of an extra angle-plate. Fig. 7 shows a side view of a sliding sighting-pin. Fig. 8 shows a side view of a sighting-pin.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in all of the drawings. y

.A represents one arm of an angle-plate, preferably a right-angle plate, and a its other arm.

B represents one arm of another right-angle plate, and b its other arm. At the junction of the arms b and B is set a pin c, and upon the same arm b is a pin cl. To this pin c is removably secured a tape-line D, preferably of steel, which `buttons over the pin d, set in the arm l), and also buttons'over the pins e and f on the arm a, thereby bringing the parts A and B of the angle-plates at right angles to the tape and parallel to each other, and by tension of said tape-line forces all the pins into one straight line. The tape is then wound into the box C by crank E. The tapeline D is marked with the usual numbers representing feet and fractions thereof.

Upon the arm b is removably placed a register F, (shown in Fig. 3,) having pin-holes g. In this special instance the first pin-hole is one-half of an inch to the right from the line R Z,'the second pin-hole at one inch, the third at one and one-half inches, the fourth at two inches, and so on at a half inch apart for the entire length of the register. In these pin-holes is placed a sighting-pin P. (Shown in Fig. 8.) Fora greater degree of accuracy there may be additional pin-holes between the holes g, as one-fourth, one-eighth, one sixteenth, and one thirty-second of an inch apart. Vhere the holes are less than an inch apart, the sighting-pin is lpreferably7 what is called a sliding sighting-pin T, as shown in Fig. 7. This consists of a rectangular block U, terminating in a wedge shape at one end u. In the end u i-s set the sighting-pin o, having the usual shade V. This sliding pin T is placed on the register S, and can be moved along on the register, bringing the point u, and with it the sighting-pin fu, into any position between the holes g on Athe register S.

Referring to Fig. 3, which represents one of theregisters, the first line p, which extends from the hole g, is marked twelve hundred yards, the second line six hundred yards, the third four hundred, and so on, decreasing at each hole in the same ratio. These calculations of one-half inch deviation from the line R Z toward the lin-e X Y show the distance to the object sighted through the sighting-pins, when the pin is placed in the iirst hole, to be twelve hundred yards from the point K on the line X Y, as marked on the register. This calculation is based upon the distance of iifteen feet between the line R Z and the line X Y. If the distance between the two lines be more or less, then a different register must be placed upon the arm b of the angle-plate B, with the calculation thereon based upon such'dierence between the two lines. If that distance be thirty-six feet, then register shown in Fig. 4 will be used and the object sighted through the first pin-hole would be two thousand eight hundred and eighty yards distant,as indicated IOC) upon said register. NYhere a great degree of accuracy is desired in the measurement, it would be preferable to have the lines X Y and R Z longer, and in order to increase their length pins q are placed upon the angle-plate B and pins p on the angle-plate A. l then take another steel tape-line Q, (shown in Fig. 5,) having buttonholes r therein, and I button this tape-line at one end over the pins p on the angle-plate A. The tape-line is then extended to any desired distance and, if necessary, it is buttoned at its other end to pins w on another angle-plate W. (Shown in Fig. 6.) This will extend the lines X Y to the right-angle corner of the angle-plate W, along the angleplate A and the tape-line Q, and will always keep this line at right angles to the arm a of the angle-plate A, however far it may be extended. There may be two of these angleplates W and when one of them is placed in the desired position, as described above, the tape-line Q ymay be unbuttoned from the pins p on the arm A and from the pins w on the angle-plate W and buttoned onto the pins q of the arm B and on pins w of the other angle-plate W, thus making an extension of the arm B to the same length as the arm A, and both armsA and B exactly parallel. This will enable the operator to easily keep the lines R Z and X Y always parallel and at right angles to the tape-line D, however far they may be extended. On the point K, in the line X Y, may be pivoted a transit or sighting instrument H, and another instrument J at the point n on the line R Z. In the line X Y a short'distance from the point K is a hole hand at the point Z, in the middle ofthe tape-line D, another hole, in each of which is set a sighting-pin for the purpose presently to appear. v

The manner of operating my device is as follows: The right-angle plate A, with arm a, is placed, for instance, at one end of a deck of a ship and the object is sighted by instrument H, or by the eye, through the sightingpins inserted in the holes 7o and Z along the line X Y of the angle-plate A. The outer end of the tape-line D is then buttoned onto the pins c and d of the arm Z), and the angle-plate B is placed in this instance at fifteen feet to the left of the angle-plate A as registered on the tape-line, and .the tape-line D is buttoned onto the pins e and f of the arm a. Tension on the tape-line D will bring the arms a and b into a straight line and the lines X Y and R Z parallel with each other. The register S (shown in Fig. 3) will then-be slid u pon the arm b rmly against the line R Z with the iirst hole g one-half inch to the right of the line R Z and in the center of the tape-line D. The object previously sighted along the line X Y will now be sighted by instrument J, and the sighting-pin P placed in the hole g, which is in line with the object sighted. If the object is sighted by instrument J through the sighting-pin, placed in the first hole g, next to the line R Z, then the object will be at a distance of twelve hundred yards from the point K on the line X Y. lf it be sighted through the sigh ting-pin placed in the second hole, then the distance will be six hundred yards, and if at any intermediate place between the first and second pin-holes g the distance will vary, according to its position, between twelve hundred and sixhundred yards. lf it is desired to separate the two angleplates A and B still farther to thirty-six feet, then the tape-line is drawn at that distance and the register shown in Fig. 3 is replaced by the register shown in Fig. 4:, and the instrument is operated as before described, but the object sighted by instrument J through the sighting-pin P, placed in the first hole gof the register, will be two thousand eight hundred and eighty yards from the point K cn the line X Y. When it is desired to have still greater accuracy, the arms A and B are extended, as previously described, by the tapeline Q, and the object is then sighted the same as before along the line X Y from the farther end of the tape-line Q, and the object will also be sighted through the instrument J, placed at the same distance from the tape-line D that the instrument H is from the same line.

It will be readily seen that this will be an exceedingly accurate instrument, as the baseline may be extended toany reasonable length to adapt it to sight objects a long distance oi. lf the two angle-plates were very near together, it is manifest that it would be diiicult to sight an object at a great distance, from the fact that the line X Y continuing toward the object and the line from the instrument J through the sighting-pin P, inserted in one of the holes g, would blend before reaching the object; but if the angle-plates are placed at a great distance apart--as, for instance, one upon one end of a gunboat and the other at the other end-the distance could be determined with much greater accuracy. It will be further manifest that the lines X Y and R Z may be extended backward to any desirable length and give a longer range for sighting an object, which would give a much greater degree of accuracy. It will also be noticed that the instrument may be closed up by unhooking the tape-line from the pins c, d, e, andf, winding it up, andsimply folding the two angle-plates together.

Having now described my invention, what I claim isl. A range-finder, consisting of two plates, a measure for setting the plates at a given distance apart, a register with calculations thereon, and one or more sighting-pins, for the purposes shown.

2. A range-iinder, consisting of two rightangle plates, a measuring-line removably attached to one arm of each plate, a register having calculations thereon based upon the distance apart of the angle-plates, and removably attached to one angle-plate, one lor IOO IOS

IIO

more sighting-pins and a sighting-glass for plates, a measure, a register, one or more viewing the object, all combined, as, and for sighting-pins, and a plate W, with tape-line the purposes shown. Q, combined, as, and for the purposes shown. 3. A range-finder consisting of plates A, In testimony whereof I aix my signature 5 and B, having pins c, d, e, and f, measure D, in presence of two Witnesses.

havin holes adapted to enOraUe said-pins reorister Sb, sighting-pin P anc sighting-glass Il, Y NICHOLAS BRAY' all combined to operate as and for the pur- Witnesses:

poses shown. M. M. CADY,

K. M. CADY.

ro 4. A range-finder consisting of two angle- 

